Bk 5: Percy Jackson and the Army of Dead
by the big NOBODY
Summary: If you have read Percy Jackson and the Deadly Secret, this is sort of a majorly editted version. It is much better this time around, and I'm determined to make it right. Only one chapter done yet, but many more to come! R&R! NO FLAMES!
1. My Cousin Ruins My Party

ERGGH!

I'm juggling to many balls at once. First of all, I'm COMPLETELY stuck on the third chapter of Poseidon's War (please read everything so far). I've started several times but always end up deleting everything in frustration. The problem is that I was never good at mythology and as a result have NO ideas for monsters in the story. If you've read that story, than please PM me with an idea(s). It would be much appreciated!

Second of all, I have two oneshots that I'm still working on, though I'm thinking of ditching one of them.

And now a lot of people are suddenly reading my first fanfic: Percy Jackson and the Deadly Secret, probably due to the fact that I as good as advertised it in Poseidon's War.

I know many of you hated it, but I still got a lot of people saying they liked it. So, I decided to please both of you groups. I'm editing or re-doing every chapter, making sure I get it right this time. This time you are going to like this, guaranteed. Well, almost :D

Chapter 1: My Cousin Ruins My Birthday

_" 'Come in for cake and ice cream' I said. 'I can tell we have a lot to talk about.' "_

Nico had readily agreed, and we were on our way downstairs when the worst possible thing happened. I groaned, reluctantly drawing Riptide. It was my birthday; couldn't the monsters give me a break?

_Apperantly not,_ I mused to myself as I uncapped the pen I was holding. Standing in front of me were two monsters that I had hoped I'd never meet again; Tammi and Kelli, the _empousai._

They were still in their cheerleader uniforms, and while they didn't look like much danger through the Mist, I knew from a past experience not very long ago at all that these monsters meant business. Nico was looking at me, confused. Why wouldn't he? First of all, he probably didn't see them in there true, wicked form yet. They were just cheerleaders… But then again, why would they be here?

I didn't want to let my guard down, so I whispered out of the corner of my mouth, "Monsters," and his eyes opened in alarm. While he started to look closer at them, Tammi spoke, wickedly grinning.

"Any chance of a kiss? I know I never gave you one last time." She hissed and leaned closer. I stood my ground. What I was going to do was probably the most simple thing I could do, yet surprisingly ingenious.

I managed a half smile. "Of course you can!" Tammi and Kelli advanced like zombies toward me, probably thinking about how good I would taste. I had made myself look quite un-threatening by capping Riptide and holding my hands behind my back. Of course anyone could guess I was up to something. I didn't believe it when they came greedily forward without a thought for defense.

They would pay.

As soon as they got close enough, I uncapped the pen in my hand and lashed out in one fluid motion, slicing both in one slash of my sword. Then came the thing that puzzled me. Instead of exploding into dust, or even disappearing in flames (like they did at our first unpleasant meeting), they simply dissipated in the blink of an eye. Poof. Something wasn't right.

Then I heard laughing. Mirthless, hysterical laughing.

I turned around.

"Ahhhhh... It feels good to trick an enemy," Kelli and Tammi said, freakishly together. Then they vanished in flames.

My mom was, of course, was surprised at first to see Nico, but she quickly turned to curious. She didn't say anything, however.

"Mom-Nico. Nico-meet my mom, Sally Jackson."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Jackson." Nico politely said, and though his voice didn't portray it, I could somehow tell that he was a little anxious.

I guess my mom could tell too, so once he finished eating (more like wolfing) some cake, she left saying that she was letting us have a bit of time to talk.

After she left, Nico sighed.

"I guess this was a bad time to come. Sorry."

"Don't worry, it is fine." I replied, though it was true that he put a little bit of a damper on the day.

Nico then lowered his voice and leaned in a bit. "It's about Kronos, of course. Well, at least it must be. Had- my dad is having quite a time with the Underworld lately. Every one is restless, or at least more than usual. Spirits are disappearing and running amok around the country. Even monsters are leaving prematurely, in as little as a minute sometimes before they reform. It is almost like you are now face an endless supply of monsters. It is scary, to say the least. Even my dad is worried." He paused for a breath. "I know you can't help, but I think I know some people who can." When I stayed silent, he leaned in closer and said "I'm thinking of raising demigods and heroes from the dead. Ancient and recent. Think about it. An army of the greatest warriors."

I ran my hands through my hair. All of this was a lot to take in on a birthday party. First demon cheerleaders trick me into attacking weaker clones of them (that is something I'll have to think on), and now my cousin tells me there was a way to defeat Luke, possibly before I would turn sixteen, by raising up an army of dead. Yikes. Can the dead even die again? It seemed like a solid plan to me.

"I'm all for it, but..." I broke out of his gaze. "Are you ready for this? I'm guessing your dad can't help but can you?" I couldn't help but add "Even the most all powerful kids have there limits."

Nico smiled, then looked at me straight in the eye. "I know3 I can do it. Just you wait. Next summer, when you come back to Camp, I'll have 500 warriors under your command."

He had looked so confident. It was hard not to believe a face like that.

But I didn't know how wrong he actually was...

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**I know you probably thought that chapter was a bit confusing, but I wanted to make it a bit more interesting.**

**There isn't much more to say now except review, and read onward. This story WILL get better! I hope you like everything so far!**

**Vote on my poll!**

**Read Poseidon's War! Give me an idea!**

—the big NOBODY


	2. I battle a five armed monster

Remember Me?

Man I haven't visited this site for so long. To the fans of my stories, sorry. I have been getting too many reviews, alerts, and favorites for me to ignore. Finally an update, even though it is not very different from the original chapter. Soon I will be making a oneshot, but don't worry! I'll start updating again. Thank you to everyone who reviewed or enjoyed my stories!

PS Naturally I read LO the day it came out, but it is still fun to fantasize :)

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Chapter 2: I Battle a Five-Armed-Psychic-Mind- Controlling-Monster

The months that followed that strange meeting were bleakly uneventful. I guess after almost getting myself killed more times than you can count makes almost anything normal seems uneventful. Even high school. Part of the torture, although, was the paranoia of what Nico told me. I tried vainly to forget it, but sometimes it just won't completely leave.

That is, until an incident in early November that really got me thinking…

I couldn't help it. In fact, I can hardly help anything I do, but this time, there really wasn't a thing I could do. Or maybe there was, but it is too late now.

See, my mom signed me up for Driving Ed, even though I wasn't as interested in it as I should be, but as soon as I saw it I was even less interested. It just looked so… menacing.

Not to mention strange, too. For one thing, in front of it there was a strange sign saying, quite strangely (did I mention this place was strange?):

_Park on the next block down._

_Thank You!_

_Violators will suffer a painful death._

Mom laughed it off but I was still a bit curious about why we were the only ones parked within easy walking distance. Hm.

When I got inside, however, all my instinctual warning signs went off.

The walls were covered in driving licenses. REAL licenses. I just gaped stupidly.

"Uh, mom?"

"Yes, honey? Oooh! Dear." She exclaimed. "They already made yours, Percy, look!"

I'd never say anything mean about my mom for anything, but I have to admit that she was acting sort of stupid.

Yet her voice was totally distant, and she wasn't blinking. I casually stuck my hands in my pockets— this might get fun.

It was at that moment that I caught a glimpse of a license­–with my name on it. My mom wasn't lying. It was just plain creepy. I decided I wasn't about to bet my life on… well, what ever this place is. My fingers drifted absentmindedly to the pocket where my disguised sword laid in wait. I brought the pen out, and was about to uncap it when—

**SMACK!**

Anakalomus (A/N Did I spell it right?) flew out of my now swelling hand and was caught with inconceivable speed. It all had happened so fast I hadn't had any time to react. Yet I was used to that.

See, this woman had one of those stupid "HELLO! MY NAME IS" name tags saying, in loopy lettering, Julie Aspa. I hardly noticed her while I was walking in, but I sure did when she slapped Riptide out of my hand with such incredible force that made that hand start to swell leaving me backing up with pain. Her fire-red eyes seemed to glow until they literally looked like they were on fire. It looked like a place only Hades himself would find homey. Her face contorted grotesquely (guess who I learned that word from) into a look that I'd seen plastered on many steely and resolute faces before. Very different faces indeed, but I could recognize that look anywhere; the wicked face of something that wasn't human: the face of a monster.

_Son of Poseidon. Look who is "Big Three material" now? An injured, defenseless boy, cornered. _

It was speaking to me, that much was obvious. But her lips weren't moving; it was like she was speaking with her thoughts. _But that's crazy!_ I thought.

_Not anymore._ This time it really was in my thoughts. Worse, it was reading them. This really was creepy.

_Who's here now to help you out? Daddy can't help, he's too busy for you. Such a meany-face. And what about Athena's daughter? Just too proud for scum like you?_

She was going too far, but I kept myself in check for a little longer. _All I came here for was a learner's degree, and I end up facing a Psychic-Mind-Reading-Monster._ As I thought that she changed even more.

Her arms on both sides literally melted into her sides. As I watched in horror, FIVE extraordinarily long arms sprouted out of her back until she looked like a freak version of that villain from Spider-man. I gulped. _Scratch that,_ I thought. _I'm facing a _Five-Armed-_Psychic-Mind-Reading-Monster._

Of course, no one else looked twice. The mortals probably just thought that we were having a polite conversation. That didn't worry me, but the fact that my mom was still smiling and looking distantly at me. I realized with a gulp that she was being mind-controlled.

Then the monster pulled a sword for each hand out of her chest and twirled them menacingly at me.

At that moment, I realized that my mom and I were going to die if I didn't act now. How horrible it would be to die in the mortal world, away from Half-Blood Hill, away from all my friends, away from Annabeth…

I sprung straight up with a familiar pressure jutting straight into my gut. I did what I wanted to do—surprise her. She threw one sword wildly but missed me by a few feet, sending a payload of licenses tumbling and almost blinding her. When I was at the top of my leap, I released the pressure and felt my stomach flip as I felt a huge wave of water catapult me farther up in the air, leaving the wave to crash into the freak that had been threatening me. When she was hit Riptide flew out of her hand, and it was my turn to snatch it. In one fluid motion I grabbed it, uncapped it, and disarmed two of her swords without much trouble. She had recovered by now and hissed.

_How dare you attack the Aspa, foolish demigod!_

With that thought, she disappeared in a huge flame, leaving my mom dazed and singed.

I fell, exhausted, injured, and drained, onto my knees in weariness.

My mom caught me before I totally crumpled. By now she was back into her wits, saying all the stuff a mom says when you get hurt, but now it was my turn to be distant. What I faced was nothing anybody had faced before. I thought fleetingly about what Nico told me, but it just didn't make sense.

Only one thing was for sure: My demigod life was catching up to me.


End file.
